Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR Sports Radio 550) - What was first thought to be not much of a serious injury will now put linebacker Matt Milano out of the lineup indefinitely.
As first reported by ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter on Thursday and later confirmed by head coach Sean McDermott, Milano suffered a bicep injury during Tuesday's practice in Orchard Park and will be out indefinitely for the Buffalo Bills.
"That's probably one of the harder pills to swallow right now. We just saw him work his butt off, he stayed in Buffalo all summer to get back off the leg injury, and now this happens," said McDermott on Thursday ahead of Buffalo's joint practice with the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium. "It's an unfortunate set of circumstances, but I know he's going to handle it well."
Schefter says Milano will have surgery to repair the torn bicep, and adds the hope is to have the linebacker back and available for the Bills near the end of the 2024 season in December.
Milano was battling back from a broken leg suffered during Buffalo's Week 5 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars last season in London. Leading up to the injury, Milano was, once again, stellar at outside linebacker with 30 combined tackles, a forced fumble and two interceptions in parts of five games.
The season before in 2022, Milano was named an AP First-Team All-Pro and NFL Pro Bowler with 99 total tackles, 12 tackles for loss, seven quarterback hits, 1.5 sacks, 11 passes defended, two fumble recoveries, three interceptions and a touchdown.
The 30-year-old was a former fifth-round pick (163rd overall) of the Bills in the 2017 NFL Draft, the first year McDermott took over in Buffalo as head coach. Since then, Milano has been a staple of the defense with 488 total tackles, 58 tackles for loss, 39 quarterback hits, 39 passes defended, 10.5 sacks, nine fumble recoveries and 10 interceptions.
This is not the first significant injury Milano has suffered in his eight-year career with the Bills. In addition to his leg injury last season that derailed his year, Milano suffered a broken fibula late in the 2018 season, his second year in the NFL.
After Buffalo's joint practice on Thursday, they will remain in Pittsburgh to play the Steelers on Saturday night in the Bills' second preseason game of the year.
